President Lionel Gadoury RGD issues a statement on RGD's approach to certification on behalf of the RGD Board of Directors.

Building value in a professional designation starts with meaningful standards and worthwhile programs.

For seventeen years, RGD has evolved an approach to certification that is aligned with other established professional designations in accounting, finance, project management, architecture and interior design. Like RGD, all have formal written exams and established procedures for verifying and assessing credentials. Becoming an accredited RGD is no cakewalk; last year 17% of RGD applicants did not meet the RGD standard while going through the Examination process.

Today RGD is a community of over 3,000 practising professionals, educators and students who have met the respective qualifications for membership. RGD is predominantly based in Ontario but we are the largest graphic design organization in Canada and offer on-going advocacy, continuous learning and mentorship programs that benefit the entire industry.

In recognition of RGD's growth and expanding role in the graphic design community and our unchanged ability to offer membership and programming across Canada, the Communications Committee has recently overseen a refresh of the RGD brand identity. The Association's new mark builds on the strengths of the previous one – the rectangular shape, the colour red and its overall simplicity. See http://www.rgdontario.com/2013/03/28/rgds-brand-identity-evolves-.php for details. The evolution of this design and the new website signal a fresh, bold future for RGD.

Our many established initiatives will continue. These include the annual DesignThinkers conference in Toronto (with over 1,500 attendees), a national industry survey of salaries and billing practices, virtual professional development, a new international awards program recognizing design for social good and the Business of Graphic Design handbook.

Many new initiatives are also in the works. These include:
- a new RGD-to-RGD Mentorship Program
- a partnership with York U to add a design educator conference to DesignThinkers
- partnerships with the interior and industrial design associations to make the regional Design at Work exhibit program multi-disciplinary
- a simplified Rules of Professional Conduct to provide members and clients with a clearer understanding of the value of working with an RGD
- a new RGD certificate design with annual sticker to signify members' on-going commitment to their professionalism and ethical conduct

Designers across Canada seek real solutions to help them advance in a world of immense change. It’s time to move forward to ensure real value is delivered to designers, educators and students everywhere – that is and will continue to be RGD’s focus.